Mater Dei’s David Boyle Wakes Up

SANTA ANA —  With nine players returning from a team that reached the quarterfinals of the Southern Section playoffs, Mater Dei High School coaches can afford to shuffle the lineup.

So last month when the coaches were disappointed with the play of David Boyle, the Monarchs’ leading scorer, they made him a reserve. The coaches believed Boyle needed to improve his offensive rebounding, passing and defense away from the ball.

“We took him out of the starting lineup because he wasn’t doing enough of the other things,” Mater Dei assistant coach Phil Bellomo said. “If anything it was more of a wake-up call.”

It worked. Boyle, The Times’ Athlete of the Week, returned to the starting lineup last week and scored a total of 58 points in three Monarch victories.

Boyle, a 6-foot-5 guard, wasn’t too concerned with the reserve role because he still was getting about the same amount of playing time.

That depth has helped the Monarchs (15-1) remain the No. 1-ranked team in Orange County and gives Coach Gary McKnight the flexibility to adjust lineups to the competition.

McKnight said the Monarchs have six players who can start. After all, Boyle said, “We all know that everybody’s going to play eventually.”

The role change made Boyle think about his shortcomings and concentrate on trying to crack the starting lineup again.

Once he did return to the starting lineup, he made the most of it.

In Mater Dei’s 73-49 victory over Palisades Wednesday, Boyle scored 26 points in 21 minutes of playing time. He made 11 of 16 shots.

Boyle scored 17 as the Monarchs defeated St. Paul, 95-61, Friday in their Angelus League opener. He scored 15 points, including 11 in the first half, as the Monarchs beat Capistrano Valley, 64-47, Saturday.

In the second half against Capistrano Valley, Boyle guarded Scott McCorkle and helped hold him to seven points. McCorkle had 16 points in the first half.

“He had three games in a row where he really produced for us,” McKnight said. “The first half against Capistrano Valley he was just boom, boom, boom. He kept us in the game.”

TOP PERFORMERS

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Rob Johnson of El Toro scored 11 of his game-high 23 points in the second quarter as the Chargers opened the South Coast League season Friday with a 60-45 victory over Irvine.

Newport Harbor’s Paig Parish scored 20 points in the Sailors’ 63-55 victory over Foothill Wednesday and 22 in a 80-67 victory over Costa Mesa Friday.

Bryan Slayback of Laguna Hills scored three goals in a 6-0 soccer victory over Laguna Beach Friday. Slayback, the Hawks’ leading scorer, has 15 goals this season.

David Boyle

Mater Dei High School

* Position: Guard

* Height, Weight, Class: 6-5, 185, Senior

* Last Week: Boyle scored 58 points in three Mater Dei victories.

* Season: Boyle is averaging 13.6 points.